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 Right-hander Edison Volquez allowed four hits over seven
scoreless innings, and third baseman Josh Harrison went 3-for-5 to
take over the lead in the National League batting race as the
Pirates routed the Atlanta Braves 10-1 Thursday night at Turner
Field.
The Pirates (87-72) finish with three games at Cincinnati starting
Friday night, while the Cardinals (88-71) have a weekend series at
Arizona. St. Louis was idle on Thursday. Pittsburgh also leads the
San Francisco Giants -- who clinched a playoff spot by beating the
San Diego Padres on Thursday night -- by one game for the right to
host the NL wild-card game next Wednesday.
"It's not about hitting another gear. It's about continuing to play
good baseball," said Pirates manager Clint Hurdle, whose team is
assured of at least a wild-card playoff spot.
Volquez (13-7) struck out 10 and walked one while lowering his ERA
to 3.04. The 31-year-old native of the Dominican Republic even had a
hit, breaking an 0-for-45 streak.
"He was past overdue," Hurdle said.
Volquez, who signed for $5 million as a free agent after posting a
5.71 ERA last season with the San Diego Padres and the Los Angeles
Dodgers, is 5-0 with a 1.36 ERA in his past 10 starts.
"The adjustments I've made have finally shown up," said Volquez, who
has a streak of 18 consecutive scoreless innings. "I'm very happy
with the way I've pitched. It feels good."
Hurdle said, "It was a really good season for him. He just kept
getting better."
Harrison, who has a 13-game hitting streak, raised his average to
.319, ahead of the .317 mark by Colorado Rockies first baseman
Justin Morneau.
"He's not going to let an opportunity pass by without a fight,"
Hurdle said.
Right fielder Travis Snider went 3-for-3 with a home run, second
baseman Neil Walker smacked his 22nd homer, and the Pirates had
seven of their 16 hits go for extra bases. Center fielder Andrew
McCutchen drove in three runs and scored twice.
"He's put a foot down there in right field," Hurdle said of Snider.
"He's swung the bat well."
At the right time, too.
"We all know what is at stake," Snider said.
The defeat assured the Braves (77-82) of a losing season after they
won 96 games last year and 94 in 2012. They are a dismal 5-17 in
September, and they barely avoided their seventh shutout of the
month with a run in the ninth inning.
The Pirates got three hits out of their first basemen. Gaby Sanchez
had an RBI single as a pinch hitter against left-handed reliever
Luis Avilan in the sixth inning after Ike Davis had two doubles in
as many trips to the plate.
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Pittsburgh added three more runs against Avilan in the seventh, left
fielder Starling Marte capping the inning with a two-run double.
Then the Pirates scored four times in the eighth off reliever Gus
Schlosser, with Walker hitting a two-run blast.
David Hale, making his first start for the Braves since June 28 as a
replacement for Mike Minor, made it through 4 2/3 innings on 92
pitches. He allowed five hits and two runs. The rookie right-hander
struck out four and walked four, two intentionally.
Hale made five previous starts this season and 39 bullpen
appearances, posting a 3.27 ERA. He worked three innings in relief
of Minor (shoulder inflammation) last Saturday.
Snider gave the Pirates a quick lead in the first, connecting with a
1-2 curveball and sending a drive into seats behind the fence in
right-center field for his 13th homer of the season.
Volquez struck out the side in the first inning on 12 pitches, then
fanned left fielder Justin Upton on three more to start the second.
It didn't get better for the Braves.
"The game describes how our season went," shortstop Andrelton
Simmons said. "Not very good."
NOTES: RHP Vance Worley (8-4) is scheduled to start for the Pirates
against Reds RHP Mike Leake (11-13) on Friday night in Cincinnati,
with LHP Francisco Liriano (7-10) and RHP Gerrit Cole (11-5)
tentatively slated to follow for Pittsburgh. ... 3B Chris Johnson
was out of the Braves' lineup after sustaining a lower back strain
the previous night. ... Braves C Evan Gattis, weakened by a bout
with strep throat and kidney stones, caught his first game since
Sept. 7. ... The Braves finish the season with three games in
Philadelphia. Atlanta RHP Ervin Santana (14-10) faces RHP Jerome
Williams (6-7) Friday.
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